Automated container portfolio and organizer

ABSTRACT

A portfolio for organizing and managing the storage, access and detection of actions with regards to one or more containers. The portfolio includes various storage mechanisms, holders and tools that can be used for managing the containers. The portfolio includes sensors to detect when containers are being accessed and display devices to present status information pertaining to the containers installed within the portfolio.

BACKGROUND

According to the Institute of Medicine's Jul. 20, 2006 report bearingthe title of PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS: QUALITY CHASM SERIES”, it isestimated that in “any given week, four out of five adults in the UnitedStates will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, ordietary supplements of some sort, and nearly one-third of adults willtake five or more different medications”. “Statistics prove prescriptiondrugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists”. This was the title of anarticle published by Jessica Fraser on Jul. 5, 2005 on the NATURALNEWSwebsite which can be found at the URL of www<dot>naturalnews<dot>com. Atthe time the article was written, the author claimed that over 750,000people die in the United States every year from conventional medicinemistakes with about 106,000 to 200,000 of these deaths being attributedto prescription drugs related issues. In the Institute of Medicine'sJul. 20, 2006 report, several reported statistics were provided withregards to adverse drug events (ADE) or injuries due to medication. Forinstance, between 380,000 to 450,000 ADEs were estimated to occur inhospitals but, the committed believed that these numbers wereunderestimates. The report stated that one study calculated that 800,000preventable ADEs occur each year in long-term care facilities whileanother that among outpatient Medicare patients, over 530,000preventable ADEs occur per year. These statistics are exacerbated by our“take a pill to cure the ill” culture combined with the pharmaceuticalads that flood into our homes on prime time TV.

An article by Michael A. Steinman, MD and Joseph T. Hanlon, PharmD, MSbearing the title MANAGING MEDICATIONS IN CLINICALLY COMPLEX ELDERS“THERE'S GOT TO BE A HAPPY MEDIUM” highlights the risks and issuesinvolved in ADEs related to elderly patients having multiplemedications. The article further addresses the issue by posing severalneeds in the art. First, a systematic approach to approachingprescribing is essential. Second, an essential first step is to knowwhat the patient is actually taking right now, and to clarify what goalsyou are trying to achieve by prescribing drugs. Third, it is critical toindividualize care based on what benefits and harms a patient isactually experiencing from their drugs.

“Medication Non-Compliance Estimated to Result in More Than 300,000Deaths Each Year” was the title of an article posed by Kathy Wetters onOct. 17, 2010 on the RIGHT AT HOME website. In this article, Ms. Wettersstates “Medication non-compliance is becoming one of the most expensiveand deadly problems in healthcare today. Hospital costs due to patientnon-compliance are estimated at $8.5 billion annually. And with morethan 300,000 deaths annually resulting from non-compliance, healthcareprofessionals, caregivers and Americans are left searching for new waysto fight this avoidable issue”.

In an article published by FierceHealthcare bearing the title ofPATIENTS NOT TAKING MEDICATIONS COST $300B, May 27, 2011 it is statedthat the lack of prescription medication adherence costs between $250and $300 billion annually. Supporting this position, the article cites areport from Express Scripts' released in April of 2011 determining thatpatients not taking their prescribed medications costs roughly $259billion per year in emergency room and doctor visits, as well asinpatient hospitalizations.

The website www<dot>abovetheinfluence<dot>com is a web campaignsponsored by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and is directedto provide information about drug abuse, overdosing, and non-compliance.With regards to prescription drugs, ABOVETHEINFLUENCE writes:

“Prescription drugs are medicines that are prescribed to a patient by adoctor to manage pain, treat or cure a health condition such as pain,mental disease, diabetes, cancer, or common infections. These drugs areregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are shown tohave medical benefits when prescribed and taken exactly as directed by ahealth provider. For people who are suffering, these drugs allow them tocontrol their symptoms, cure or treat their diseases, control pain, orfight an infection. However, these medicines are only safe when takenexactly as directed by a doctor, healthcare provider, or as indicated onthe packaging. This includes following directions on dosages, how oftento take these drugs, and never taking any drug that is not prescribedfor you.”

“Taking prescription drugs that are not prescribed to you—or taking themin any way other than directed by a doctor—is considered non-medical useor abuse and can be as dangerous as taking an illegal drug, such ascocaine or heroin. “Misuse” of a prescription drug is taking it to treata medical condition but not as directed by a doctor or packaging;“abuse” is taking prescription drugs with the sole intention of gettinghigh. When misused or abused, many prescription drugs can be asdangerous and addictive as “street” drugs. In recent years, there hasbeen a dramatic increase in the number of poisonings and even deathsassociated with the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, includingprescription painkillers and anti-depressants.”

“In other words, even if a medication is prescribed to you, takinglarger doses than prescribed, taking it more often than directed, orusing it in a way that it is not intended, is abuse and can also lead tosevere health consequences and addiction. Between 1995 and 2005,treatment admissions for dependence on prescription pain relievers suchas oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) grewmore than 300 percent.”

“Taking prescription drugs without a prescription, not taking them asdirected, or mixing them with alcohol are all unsafe and potentiallydeadly. A 2008 study based on 224,355 U.S. death certificates for whichpeople died from medication errors showed that there was a 3,196 percentincrease between 1983 and 2004 in deaths at home from combiningprescription drugs with alcohol and/or street drugs.”

“Additionally, getting prescription drugs without a prescription, called“diversion” is illegal and may put you at risk for arrest andprosecution. Regardless of how you acquire a prescription medication,using these types of drugs without a valid prescription—written foryou—is unsafe and illegal.”

The term “noncompliance” is used in medicine particularly in regard to apatient not taking a prescribed medication or following a prescribedcourse of therapy. For example, “As many as half of ‘failures’ oftreatment to bring elevated blood pressure down to normal levels may bedue to unrecognized lapses in taking antihypertensive drugs asprescribed, according to a new study by a team of researchers from theUniversity of Lausannne, Switzerland.” (Stephenson J, JAMA 282: 313,1999)

Noncompliance may be overt (as with a Christian Scientist who rejectsrecommended therapy for religious reasons) or covert (as with childrenwho are supposed to take an antibiotic, say they are taking it but arenot, as revealed by a blood test to detect that antibiotic).

For some individuals, the number of medications that they must take canbe overwhelming. Having multiple prescriptions with varying dosageschedules and amounts can become confusing. This, coupled by thesimilarity in the bottles and labeling, the non-descriptive namingconventions, busy schedules, etc., can easily lead to innocent mistakesby an individual that is taking the medicine—innocent mistakes that canbe fatal.

Whether the cause of non-compliance is due to misuse, abuse, diversionor simply human error, it is clear that the problem is epidemic. Thus,there is a need in the art for a system to help reduce medicinenon-compliance.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various embodiments disclosed provide a tool, system, method and/ordevice to help organize and manage the storage, access andadministration of prescription and/or over-the-counter medications. Ingeneral, a portfolio that includes various storage mechanism, holdersand tools that can be used for managing a patient's medications. Morespecifically, in one embodiment, the portfolio is a two-sided brief-caselike device that can be secured in a closed position, or opened to gainaccess to the interior of the portfolio. The portfolio may includemultiple pockets on the outside for storing various items, and a varietyof pockets, sleeves, receptors and Velcro or hook and loop structuresfor receiving and holding various elements such as a pill dispenser,containers, pill bottles, etc. In some embodiments, the portfolio issold in a particular configuration and/or various versions may includedifferent configurations. In other embodiments, the portfolio may beuser configurable by including an interior that includes Velcro or hookand loop surfaces that can receive and securely hold various elements,such as medicine bottle receptors, pockets, sleeves, pill dispensers,communication devices, pouches, etc.

A particular embodiment includes a portfolio for holding medicine andmedicine related items. The portfolio includes a first side and a secondside. The first side is joined along one edge with the second side. Thejoint between the first and second side is flexible or hinged, therebyallowing the first side and the second side to be moved in a hinged likefashion away from each other to an open position and towards each otherto a closed position. The one or more of the sides includes a pluralityof receptors with each receptor configured to receive a pill bottle. Oneor more of the sides include at least one pocket for holding a notepad;a surface for receiving and holding pill dispenser; and a calendar. Alatching mechanism may be included for securing the first side to thesecond side in the closed position.

In various embodiments, the first side and the second side may includeinterior surfaces with at least portions of the interior surfacesincluding a fastening element for receiving one or more elements. Forinstance, the fastening element may be Velcro, hook and loop, snaps,buttons, adhesive, loops, buttons, or other fasteners. The received oneor more elements include a mating fastening element. For instance, ifthe fastening element is Velcro hooks, the mating fastening element maybe Velcro loops, etc. As an example, the receptor strips may include themating fastening element and can be secured to the interior surface ofthe first or second side. Further, one or more of the elements of areceptor strip, a pocket for holding a notepad; a pill dispenser; a notepad, a calendar, a pouch, a communication device, and a writinginstrument may include a mating fastening element that can be secured tothe interior surface of the first or second side.

In other embodiments, the plurality of receptor strips may be fixedlysecured to the interior surface of the first or second side. Likewise,one or more of the elements of a receptor strip, a pocket for holding anotepad; a fastening element for a pill dispenser; a note pad holder, acalendar holder, a pouch holder, a communication device holder, and awriting instrument holder can be fixedly secured to the interior surfaceof the first or second side.

Further, in other embodiments, a combination of removably attachedelements and fixedly attached elements may be utilized in the portfolio.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the medication storageand organizer in the form of a portfolio.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of an exemplary embodiment ofthe portfolio.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an open and populated portfolio inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4a is a conceptual diagram of a portfolio that is constructed in aside by side.

FIG. 4b is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features in the portfolio of FIG. 4a but includes anupper panel and a lower panel.

FIG. 4c is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features of the FIG. 4a portfolio but includes a leftpanel and a right panel.

FIG. 4d is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features in a portfolio that includes a left panel and aright panel.

FIG. 5 is an example of how a photovoltaic device can be connected andused as a sensor in the various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the components of an exemplaryembodiment of the system or sub-system operating as a controller orprocessor in various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of one function thatmay be made available in various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating functional blocks of an exemplarycontrol structure that could be incorporated into one or moreembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure presents a solution, in the form of an apparatus,a system and a method, to help reduce medicine non-compliance byintroducing a single tool that alleviates many of the needs that arepresent in the art. The various embodiments operate to or providesolutions to assist in organizing the storage and dosing of medications.The various embodiments simplify, monitor, track and report theadministration of medications. Thus, the various embodiments, as well asfeatures and aspects thereof, are directed towards providing anorganizer that can be used by individuals, caretakers, nurses, physicianassistants, etc., in organizing, identifying and tracking the use,storage and dosing of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

The disclosed embodiments may include functional elements for thestorage of prescription and over-the-counter medications (collectivelyreferred to as medications) and a system and method for clearlylabeling, organizing and monitoring access to and administration of themedications. In some embodiments, a dosage tracking functional elementfor sorting, tracking and verifying medication dosages may be included.Further, various embodiments may include additional functional elementssuch as but not limited to, one or more notepads for writing notes,cautions, instructions, questions/concerns, side effects, etc., to bringto the attention of the individual's physician, etc., a writing utensilstorage element, a calendar, an electronic media and storage receptaclefor the same that can contain further information such as instructions,warnings, etc., a calculator for converting measuring units, a dispenserfor measuring dosages, and a cutter for splitting pills. In addition,the various embodiments may include sensors that can detect when certainof the medicine containers are being or have been accessed. Embodimentsmay also include a visual indication, such as LEDs of various colorsthat are used to communication information to the user, such as whenmedications are due to be administered, what and when medications werenot delivered or accessed during a dosage window and preventive locks ormeasures to prevent early access to the medications (or return accesswhen it is not remembered that a party has already taking the duedosage). The various embodiments may include a transceiver forcommunicating information to a central control system and or receivinginformation. The transceiver may also be used to sounding alarms,ordering additional supplies, requesting refiles of prescriptions,calling a doctor or calling 911. Embodiments may include a pulse ox tomeasure pulse rates and oxygen levels. Further, embodiments may includeother sensors or tools for measuring other vital signs such as bloodpressure, temperature, and sugar levels.

Turning now to the drawings in which like labels represent likeelements, various embodiments of medication storage and organizer arepresented.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the medication storageand organizer in the form of a portfolio. The portfolio 100 is shown asincluding a closing mechanism 102 that can be actuated to securely closethe portfolio or open the portfolio to allow access to the inside of theportfolio. The closing mechanism may be any of a variety of mechanismsand the illustrated embodiment presents the use of a zipper 102. It willbe appreciated that the zipper 102 may include a locking mechanism toprevent unauthorized access. The locking mechanism can be a simplemechanical combination lock, a keyed lock, an electronic lock, etc. Inother embodiments, the closing mechanism for the portfolio can use avariety of other techniques or mechanisms including but not limited tosnaps, Velcro, straps, buckles, magnets, covering sleeve, or the like,as well as combinations of two or more of these techniques.

In the illustrated embodiment, the portfolio is shown as including twoexternal pockets 104 and an identification tag 106. The external pockets104 can be used for storage of a variety of items including asnon-limiting examples, instructions, books, journals, insuranceinformation, insurance cards, prescription cards, HMA cards, etc.Although only two external pockets are illustrated, it should beappreciated that more or fewer pockets can be used in variousembodiments. The identification tag 106 allows for the ownership andcontact information of the portfolio to be readily accessible andidentified without having to gain access to the internal portions of theportfolio. In the illustrated embodiment, the identification tag 106 isshown as a card that can receive the owner's name, address and telephonenumber. However, it will be appreciated that additional or lessinformation can also be provided. In addition, other forms of anidentification tag may also be employed, such as an LED display, LCDdisplay or other electronic or mechanical display.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of an exemplary embodiment ofthe portfolio. The portfolio 100 is shown as including a top or backsection 210, and a bottom or front section 230. The top section 210 isconnected to the bottom section 230 along a single side using a flexiblematerial or a hinge or a hinging structure. The connection between thetop section 210 and the bottom section 230 enables the top section 210to be moved away from the bottom section 230 into an opened position, ormoved towards the bottom section 230 to a closed position. The topsection 210 is shown as including multiple storage receptors 214arranged in three receptor rows 212 of seven receptors 214 each. Inaddition, the illustrated embodiment includes a general receptor 216.The receptors 214 may be suitable for receiving and holding a standardpill bottle or other containers, such as medicine bottles, vitaminbottles, boxes of pills, etc. The illustrated receptors 214 are shown asbeing uniform in size and constructed using an elastic band that istacked to the surface of the top section 210 at periodic intervals toform receptor loops for receiving the items, such as pill bottles. Thereceptor loops can be constructed at a single size that may accommodatesmall, medium and large pill bottles. However, in some embodiments,different loop sizes may be utilized and intermixed throughout theportfolio. For instance, some pill bottles may be extra large andrequire a larger receptor loop which would not be able to accommodate orsecurely hold smaller pill bottles. In addition, a variety of othermechanisms may be used for holding and securing the pill bottles, aswell as other elements in the portfolio. For instance, a plurality ofclips, similar to the clips used on the bottom of TV trays, microphoneholding clips, etc. can be fixedly or removably attached to the interiorsurface of the portfolio. In such embodiments, the pill bottle can bepressed into or slid into the holding clip and secured in place. Inaddition, holders similar to those used for batteries can be used forreceiving the pill bottles. Further, in some embodiments, the elasticstrap 212 may include a plurality of snaps that snap to the surface ofthe back 210. The snaps may be spaces out such that a different numberof snaps can be decoupled to accommodate different container sizes. Forinstance, one snap can be decoupled for small bottles, while 3 snaps maybe decoupled for large bottles.

The general receptor 216 can be used for storage of a writinginstrument, a tool such as a pill cutter, a dosage measuring device, orthe like. It should be appreciated that the illustrated configuration issimply one of a variety of configurations that may be implemented invarious embodiments. Some embodiments may use more or fewer medicinebottle receptors 214 and more or fewer general receptors 216.

The bottom section 230 is illustrated as including multiple regions forhousing various functional components. In the illustrated embodiment,the bottom section 230 includes a Velcro fastener for a pill box 232, apocket or flap for receiving a calendar 234, a pocket or flap forreceiving a note pad 236, a Velcro fastener for receiving a detachablepouch or container 238, and a pocket or flap 240 for receiving andholding another note pad, a calculator, insurance card, etc.

The top section 210 and the bottom section 230 each are bordered by aflap 218 and 242 such that the flap of the top section 210 mates withthe flap of the bottom section 230 to close the portfolio. As previouslypresented, the flaps may include a zipper 102 to secure the flapstogether as well as other closing mechanisms. The flaps 218 and 242 canbe constructed in a variety of manners. As non-limiting examples, theflaps may be (a) flexible to allow them to be pulled back over the topsection 210 or bottom section 230 to aid in accessing the portfoliocontents or (b) rigid to ensure protection of the portfolio contents andto help prevent items from falling out of an opened portfolio.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an open and populated portfolio inaccordance with one embodiment. The portfolio 100 is shown as includinga top or back section 210, and a bottom or front section 230. The topsection 210 is shown as including multiple storage receptors 214arranged in three receptor rows 212 of seven receptors 214 each. Each ofthe receptors 214 is illustrated as being populated with a medicinebottle 314. In the illustrated embodiment, attachable labels arepresented for identifying the type of medication that is stored in aparticular receptor 214. In the illustrated embodiment, the labelincludes a Velcro strip 310 that can be looped through the receptorstrap 214. The Velcro strip 310 includes a label holder 312 and a label316 that can be placed into or onto the label holder 312. It should beappreciated that labels could be included using a variety of othertechniques. A few non-limiting examples include a label with a clip, alabel holder fixedly attached to the receptors 214, a dry-erase typematerial fixedly attached to the receptor 214 or above/below thereceptor 214 in such a manner that the medicine bottle would notobstruct its view, labels that can be attached directly to the bottles(either the side, top or bottom), etc.

In addition, the illustrated embodiment includes one or more generalreceptors 216. In the illustrated embodiment, a pen is shown as beinginserted into the general receptor 216. In other embodiments, varioustools or other devices can also be accommodated. For instance, a generalreceptor could be used to hold a cellular telephone, a pager, a personaldata assistant (PDA), a notebook computer, an iPad, and/or an emergencytransmitter (such as the “I have fallen and I can't get up” medicalalert device), measuring tool, pill cutter, etc.

The bottom section 230 is illustrated as housing a note pad for listingmedication and/or instructions 336, a pocket or pouch 338 for holding aflash drive or memory device, a note pad 340 for writing questions to beasked during a next visit to the doctor or pharmacy, a pill dispenserbox 332 including compartments for morning and evening of each day ofthe week and a calendar 334. In the illustrated embodiment, the two notepads 336 and 340 and the calendar 334 are held in pockets 236, 240 and234 respectively (see FIG. 2). The pill dispenser 332 and the pouch 338may be secured into position by including mating Velcro on the undersideof the pill dispenser and pouch.

In should be appreciated that in varying embodiments, the elements maybe permanently secured or detachable as described.

In another embodiment of the portfolio, the interior may be fullycustomizable. This can be accomplished using a variety of techniques.For instance, the entire interior surface may include a hook and loopfastening material. In such embodiments, a portfolio may be sold with ageneral set of attachments and other attachments or options can bepurchased and added separately. For instance, various receptor rows 212may be included with the portfolio with the underside of the receptorrow including a mating hook and loop material. Advantageously, in such aconfiguration the user can include various rows for various needs. As anexample, each receptor row 212 may include various receptor sizes. Insome embodiments, each row may focus on a particular receptor size whilein other embodiments, receptor rows may include a variety of differentreceptor sizes. Similarly, the portfolio may be sold with a variety ofother elements/devices such as a calendar, a variety of notepads, one ormore pockets of varying sizes, one or more pill dispensers, acalculator, etc.

FIG. 4a-4d illustrate alternative configurations for various embodimentsof the medicine portfolio and also illustrate additional features thatmay be incorporated into various embodiments. In FIG. 4a , theillustrated embodiment is a side by side configuration with three strips414 of receptors positioned on the left side, and on the right side, apouch 452, pad 454 and accessory 456. Each of the receptors 414 isillustrated as including a sensor 450 shown as being positioned slightlybelow the receptor 414. However, it should be appreciated that thesensor may also or alternatively be behind the receptor 414, above thereceptor 414, in front of the receptor 414 or embedded within the strapof the receptor 414. The sensor 450 is configured to detect if and whena container has been removed from one of the receptacles. The sensors450 may be any of a variety of sensors, including but not limited to,pressure sensors, light detectors, RFID sensors, push button switches,continuity detectors, etc.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4a also includes a display device 458associated with each receptor 414. The display device may be any of awide variety of devices include one or more LEDs, an LED panel, LEDsegmented display, LCD panel, electroluminescence panel or any of a widevariety of displays that can present colors and/or text. In someembodiments, rather than a display, or in addition to a display, anaudio interface may be included. The audio interface may include asingle speaker that can be used to deliver audio signals indicative of astatus, events, etc. Thus, the embodiments can be configured to besuitable for hearing impaired or visually impaired patrons.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4a also includes a wirelesstransceiver 460. The transceiver may be Bluetooth, WiFi, unlicensed RFspectrum, cellular data, Infrared, or any of a wide variety of wirelesstechnologies, either based on standards or proprietary. Preferably, theembodiments include BlueTooth technology to enable interfacing to a widevariety of devices. For instance, a smart phone could include a mobileapp that is configured to control and monitor the portfolio. It shouldalso be appreciated that the same functionality as described herein forwireless operation could also be obtained using wired technology. Itshould be appreciated that in some embodiments, a Bluetooth enabled pillbox may also be utilized. The Bluetooth enabled pill box may utilize itsown Bluetooth transceiver or it may simply interface to the processingunit 462 and utilize the same transceiver 460.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4a is also shown with a processingunit 462. The processing unit may be as simple as an ASIC orprogrammable logic array that enables the state of each of the sensors450 to be detected and transmitted by the transceiver 460 and to cause astatus, alarm or instruction to be presented on the display and/or audiointerface 458.

In a more complex embodiment, the processing unit may be amicro-controller that includes a firmware or software program. Whenexecuted, the program can operate to read and detect the current statusof the sensors 450 and then to display the current status for each ofthe receptors 414 on the associated display device 458.

In an even more complex embodiment, the processing unit 462 may bepartially or fully external to the portfolio. For instance, theprocessing unit may manage the interface through the transceiver 460 incommunicating with an external device, such as a smart pad, a smartphone, a lap top computer, a notebook computer, a smart watch, a desktopcomputer, or the like. Alternatively, the transceiver 460 may beaccessed and controlled directly by an external device and as such theprocessing unit 462 is fully external in such an embodiment.

In each of the embodiments that include a program, the program can bestructured to perform a variety of tasks. Further, in some embodiments,a keyboard or input interface may be included to allow externalprogramming or programming selection of the various features. Further,in embodiments that include at least a portion of the processing unit462 as an external component, the external component may include aprogramming or program selection interface.

Reminder Service. One of the functions that can be provided in thevarious embodiments is a reminder service. For instance, the schedulefor the administration of the medications can be programmed into thesystem with the schedule for each medication being entered. When theschedule reaches due time/date, the display device associated with theappropriate medication container can be set to indicate that it is timeto take the medication. In one embodiment, the display may simplypresent a green light to indicate it is time to take the medication. Inanother embodiment, the display may indicate a counter that counts downto zero at the time the medication is to be administered. In anotherembodiment, the display may change colors and or flash to indicate it istime to take the medication. Further, in some embodiments the displaymay provide information such as the number of pills or the amount of themedication to take, the sequence to take the medication, indicatewhether the medication should be taken with or without food, etc.

Verification Service. In certain embodiments, when a medicationcontainer is removed from the receptor 414 the sensor 450 associatedwith the receptor is triggered. This is an indication that themedication has been removed from the receptor 414 and the system myconclude that the medication has then been properly administered.However, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, a smartcontainer can be utilized to counter the number of pills or the size ofthe dosage that has been received.

Filling Instructions Service. In some embodiments, the portfolioincludes a pill box. Pill boxes typically include compartments forholding various pills. The various compartments are typically organizedinto days of the week, such as 7 compartments (one for each day).Further, some pill boxes also include separate compartments for themorning (AM) and the evening (PM). Other embodiments may have moreflexible labeling so that various periods for administration can becustomized. The filling instruction service can be invoked manually orautomatically in various embodiments and operates to instruct the userwith regards to what medications and how much to obtain from themedication containers in the receptors 414 and where to place themedications in the pill box. For example, the program may begin byflashing the display 458 associated with a particular medicationcontainer. Once the medication container is removed from the receptor414, the sensor 450 can detect this state change and the display device458 can be updated to indicate the dosage to be placed in each containerof the pill box. As a non-limiting example, the display may indicatethat one pill should be placed the containers for each day of the week,or that X pills should be placed in the AM section for each day of theweek. The pill box may include sensors to detect when each compartmentis opened. Further, the pill box may include a sensor to detect thenumber of pills that have been placed into a container. This informationcan be relayed back to the processing unit and the display can bemodified to confirm that the proper dosage was placed into the propercontainer. In some embodiments, the user may be prompted to verify thatthe dosage was entered into the proper box and then be required toactuate a button to confirm compliance. Other embodiments can include avariety of sensors and detectors to confirm that the proper dosage hasbeen transferred into the proper compartment. This may include opticalsensors, weight sensors, counters, etc. It is anticipated that thevarious embodiments would include specialized medicine containers thatcan be programmed to emit a proper dosage into a pill box container.

Automatic Refill Orders. In some embodiments, the various prescriptionscan be monitored and the program this is aware of when the prescriptionneeds to be refilled. Further, the program can access the Internet toidentify lead times for ordering a refill to ensure that the refillorders are placed in time, thus maintaining continuity of administeringthe medications.

Interface to Physician/Pharmacy. In some embodiments, the physician orthe pharmacy can actually send programming instructions to the portfoliowhenever a prescription order is fulfilled. This information may includethe amount of medication in the prescription, the timing of dosage ofthe medication and special instructions regarding the medication.

RFID Validation. When the medications are extracted from the receptors414 and returned, it is possible that a user may get confused and placethe medication containers into different receptors. The variousembodiments may alleviate this issue in a couple of ways. One way is touse an RFID that is attached to the medication container. Theprogramming can include an identification of which medication containersbelong in which receptors 414. When the medication container is removedand then returned to the receptor 414, if it is not correct thereceptor, the RFID can be actuated to verify if it is in the correctreceptor. If the medication bottle is in the wrong receptor 414, analarm can be sounded and a message can be presented to the user toindicate that the medication container is in the wrong receptor 414. Forinstance, the display in the incorrect receptor may flash red while thedisplay device for the correct receptor may flash green as anon-limiting example. In another embodiment, when the RFID is detectedfor a medication container that has been placed in a receptor 414,rather than checking to verify that the medication container is in thecorrect receptor 414, the program may simply update the information toindicate the new location of that particular medication container. Assuch, all future status messages for that medication container will besent to the new location.

The RFID validation may also be used to just detect when a medicationcontainer has been removed and returned to the receptor 414. As such,the RFID validation then becomes the sensor 450.

Electronic/Smart pill box. As previously described, the variousembodiments may incorporate or utilize an electronic/smart pill box thatmay be wireless enables, such as with Bluetooth technology or some otherwireless or wired technology. Similar to the receptors 414, the variouscontainers in the pill box may include a sensor and/or a display orfeedback mechanism (audio, mechanical, visual, etc.). Such devices caninclude features such as detecting when a compartment has been opened,highlighting a compartment that contains a dosage that has come due,locking a compartment until the dosage window is active, etc. Acommunication enabled smart pill box can be programmed from an app or acomputer program or a user interface to provide the dosage timing, theamount of dosage, etc. In addition, the smart pill box can also reportstatus to a smart phone or computer app, doctor, caretaker, etc. whenmedications have been taken and when the dosage window has closedwithout the medication being taken.

In other embodiments, a standard pill box can be converted to a smartpill box. One technique is to mount a translucent or transparent pillbox over an array of LEDs. The LEDs can be used to signal variousstatus. For instance, a green LED positioned under a pill compartmentcan be illuminated when the dosage window is active for the medicationswithin that compartment. Likewise, if the dosage window has expiredwithout confirmation that the medications were taken, a yellow LED canbe illuminated under the compartment of interest. When a compartment isnot associated with an open dosage window or an overdue dosage, a redLED can be illuminated under the compartment. In addition, an array ofphotovoltaic cells can be attached to the top access doors to eachcompartment. When the portfolio is opened, all of the photovoltaic cellswill detect light. Then if one compartment is opened, the photovoltaiccell associated with that compartment will be covered, thus triggeringthat an opening event has occurred. The array of LEDs and photovoltaiccells (or other sensors) can be tied to the processing unit 462 forbeing controlled and/or providing status or trigger events.

Scan bar code or QR code. In some embodiments, the portfolio may includea code scanner, such as a bar code or QR code as non-limiting example.Further, the scanner may be implemented on a mobile smart phone or otherdevice that is communicatively coupled to the portfolio and/or theprocessing unit. In operation, when a new medication container is beingintroduced to the portfolio, or a refill is being provided, the bar codeor QR code, etc., can be scanned. The scanned code would include orprovide access to obtain information regarding the dosage, the dosagetiming, doctor contact information, special instructions, refillinformation, etc. This information can then be loaded into theportfolio. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 462 may thenidentify an available receptor and illuminate the receptor so that theuser knows where to store the medication container. The program may thenalso turn on an indication to let the user know that the containers of apill box need to be populated with the newly introduced medication.

FIG. 4b is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features in a portfolio that includes an upper panel anda lower panel. In this embodiment, two rows of receptors 414 areillustrated with a row for 6 small medication containers and a row for 4larger medication containers. A pouch 452 is provided and the portfoliocan be conveniently hung with hook 464.

FIG. 4c is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features in a portfolio that includes a left panel and aright panel. In this embodiment, two rows of receptors 414 areillustrated on the left panel, with a row for 6 small medicationcontainers, a row for 5 mid-sized, and a row for 4 larger medicationcontainers. Two VELCRO strips 470 and 472 are included on the outside ofthe right side panel and zipper pouches 474, 476 and 478 can beconnected to the VELCRO strips.

FIG. 4d is another embodiment that may include one or more of theafore-described features in a portfolio that includes a left panel and aright panel. In this embodiment, three rows of receptors 414 areillustrated on the left panel, with a row for 5 medium sized medicationcontainers, two rows of 5 receptors for large medication containers andthe right side includes two rows of small receptors for small medicationcontainers.

FIG. 5 is an example of how a photovoltaic device can be connected andused as a sensor in the various embodiments. The photovoltaic device R1is connected in series with a resistor R2, wherein one end of thephotovoltaic device R1 is connected to a first end of resistor R2 andthe other end of the photovoltaic device R1 is connected to ground. Theother end of resister R2 is connected to power VCC. The connectionbetween resistor R2 and the photovoltaic cell R1 can be fed into aninput of a microcontroller that can detect the value of the voltagebeing dropped across the photovoltaic cell. As such, when thephotovoltaic cell is exposed to light, the resistance of R1 drasticallychanges, thus changing the value of the voltage drop across R1 and R2.When the photovoltaic cell is then shielded from the light, theresistance changes in the opposite direction and as such, so does thevoltage drop across the photovoltaic device R1. As such, themicro-controller, by reading the voltage value at the connected port,can determine when the sensor is exposed or shielded from the light. andthe series circuit is connected between power VCC and ground. The pointof connection between the In other embodiments, rather than a foldingportfolio, the portfolio may consist of a single tray and a sleeve thatslides over the tray. In operation, the tray may be pulled or slid outof the sleeve to provide access to the interior of the portfolio. Thesleeve can be open on two sides to allow the tray to be slid out ineither direction or, the sleeve can include only a single opening on oneside. In yet other embodiments the tray may include a top, similar to acigar box, to allow access to the interior of the tray. In someembodiments, the portfolio may resemble a briefcase or a satchel with acarrying handle.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the components of an exemplaryembodiment of the system or sub-system operating as a controller orprocessor 600 that could be used in various embodiments of thedisclosure for controlling aspects of the various embodiments,implementing functions or engines, implementing the GOG or componentsthereof. It will be appreciated that not all of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 6 are required in all embodiments of the GOG buteach of the components are presented and described in conjunction withFIG. 6 to provide a complete and overall understanding of thecomponents. Further, in some embodiments, additional components notillustrated may be added for particular interfaces and functionality.The controller can include a general computing platform 600 illustratedas including a processor/memory device 602/604 that may be integratedwith each other or communicatively connected over a bus or similarinterface 606. The processor 602 can be a variety of processor typesincluding microprocessors, micro-controllers, programmable arrays,custom IC's, etc., and may also include single or multiple processorswith or without accelerators or the like. The memory element 104 mayinclude a variety of structures, including but not limited to RAM, ROM,magnetic media, optical media, bubble memory, FLASH memory, EPROM,EEPROM, etc. The processor 602, or other components in the controllermay also provide functionalities such as a real-time clock,analog-to-digital convertors, digital-to-analog convertors, etc. Theprocessor 602 also interfaces to a variety of elements including acontrol interface 612, a display adapter 608, an audio adapter 610, andnetwork/device interface 614. The control interface 612 provides aninterface to external controls, such as sensors, actuators, drawingheads, nozzles, cartridges, pressure actuators, leading mechanism,drums, step motors, a keyboard, a mouse, a pin pad, an audio activateddevice, as well as a variety of the many other available input andoutput devices or another computer or processing device or the like. Thedisplay adapter 108 can be used to drive a variety of user interfaceelements 616, such as display devices including an LED display, LCDdisplay, one or more LEDs or other display devices. The audio adapter610 interfaces to and drives another alert element 618, such as aspeaker or speaker system, buzzer, bell, etc. and may also interface toan input device such as a microphone. The network/interface 614 mayinterface to a network 620 which may be any type of network including,but not limited to, the Internet, a global network, a wide area network,a local area network, a wired network, a wireless network, or any othernetwork type including hybrids. Through the network 620, or evendirectly, the controller 600 can interface to other devices or computingplatforms such as one or more servers 622 and/or third party systems624. A battery or power source provides power for the controller 600.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of one function thatmay be made available in various embodiments. In the illustrateddiagram, the program 700 operates to set the status of the variousdisplay devices to a do not disturb state DND 710 to indicate that themedication should not be accessed at this particular time. When theprocessing unit determines that dosage window is open for one or more ofthe medication containers 715, the status indicator will be set to adosage window open state 720. This status indicates to the user that themedication should be taken at this point. In some embodiments, an alarmmay also be sounded.

If the processing unit detects that the medication container associatedwith a receptor that is in the dosage window open state 725, then theprocessing unit will begin to look for the container being placed backwithin the receptor 730. If the medication container is returned withina threshold period of time, processing returns to step 710 with thestatus set to the DND state. However, if the medication container is notreplaced within the threshold period of time, an alarm state is entered735. Similarly, if the medication container is not removed from thereceptor during the dosage window, then an alarm is also sounded 735.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating functional blocks of an exemplarycontrol structure that could be incorporated into one or moreembodiments. The illustrated control structure 800 includes a processingunit 820. The processing unit interfaces to one or more receptor sensors815 and one or more displays 810. The processing unit 820 can interfaceto the receptor sensors 815 to determine their current state, monitorchanges in their state, enable or disable the sensor, enable or disablea lock on the receptor to allow or prevent extraction, and arm or disarman alarm associated with the sensor. Further, the processing unit 820can send control signals to the display devices 810. Depending on thestructure of the display, the processing unit 820 can send varyinglevels of information. For instance, if the processing unit 820 sensesthat the displays 810 are of a certain type (i.e, LED, LCD, 7-segmentdisplay, multi-7-segment display, etc., the processing unit 820 can varythe types of control signals. If the display devices are a simpleBoolean LED display, the processing unit 820 may simply turn the displaydevice 810 associated with a particular receptor on when a dosage is dueto be taken for the medications in that receptor as a non-limitingexample. On the other hand, for a complex LCD display, the processingunit 820 could present a timer that counts down to the next dosage duetime, display a picture of the pill shape and color to help preventerrors, and provide other messages such as “take this medicine withfood”, “do not drive for X hours after taking this medication”, “do nottake this medication with alcohol” as a few non-limiting examples. Thedisplay devices 810 can also be used as visual alarms. Further, thedisplay devices 810 may also include an audible component such as abuzzer, an electric tone generator or even a speaker and the processingunit 820 can send message signals and/or alarms to the audible componentas well. The processing unit 820 interfaces to the transceiver 830 tocommunicate with external devices, the user's smart phone or smarttablet, a control system at the pharmacy, doctor's office, etc. Theprocessing unit 820 also interfaces to an I/O Port 840, such as a USB,FIRE, RS232 or any other of a wide variety of standard or proprietaryports/protocols. Similar to the transceiver 830, the I/O Port 840 can beused to obtain system status from the processing unit 820 or provideinformation and/or controls to the processing unit 820. For instance, apharmacist can load an entire portfolio with medications and thentransmit the control, alert, dosage, etc. information through thetransceiver 830 and/or I/O Port 840. In addition, in some embodiments akeyboard and/or display can be attached to the I/O port 840 to conducttesting and maintenance on the system and/or to load or program control,alert, dosage, etc. information. The processing unit 820 can alsointerface to a smart device 850. The smart devices can be any of a widevariety of devices such as BlueTooth enable pill boxes, BlueTooth enablepill bottles, smart phones, smart tablets, health monitoring systemssuch as blood pressure, temperature, heartbeat, etc. systems.

In some embodiments, the portfolio may open as presented in FIGS. 1-3and 4 a-4 c, but also include a quick access door located over the pilldispenser box to allow ease of access to the pill dispenser box.Similarly, the portfolio may include a drawer that can be pulled open toprovide access to the pill dispenser or other elements in the portfoliowithout requiring the entire portfolio to be opened.

The portfolio can be constructed from a variety of materials. Asnon-limiting examples, the portfolio may be constructed of plastic,aluminum, silicone, cloth, GORE TEX, plastic with a cloth covering, aswell as combinations or hybrids of any of these materials as well asother materials.

In some embodiments, the portfolio is constructed to be water proof orwater resistant. In other embodiments, the portfolio is designed toeasily slide into a refrigerator. In yet other embodiments, theportfolio may include one or more water proof pockets for holding BLUEICE or similar devices that can be used to maintain the temperaturewithin the portfolio at a particular temperature. In other embodiments,the portfolio may include insulation or a thermal protection.Alternatively, only portions, pockets, or sections of the portfolio mayinclude insulation or thermal protection. Advantageously, suchembodiments allow the portfolio to be portable even for medications thatrequire refrigeration.

Some embodiments of the portfolio may include a pocket, sleeve orchamber for holding a thermos or water bottle.

In the description and claims of the present application, each of theverbs, “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, areused to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are notnecessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements, orparts of the subject or subjects of the verb.

The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions ofembodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodimentscomprise different features, not all of which are required in allembodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of the present inventionutilize only some of the features or possible combinations of thefeatures. Variations of embodiments of the present invention that aredescribed and embodiments of the present invention comprising differentcombinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occurto persons of the art. Further, the drawings and description has shownvarious elements being attached or affixed to certain areas and certainsides of the portfolio, but it should be appreciated that a variety ofconfigurations may be employed such that any of the described elementscan be placed at any location on any side of the portfolio's interior orexterior.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined bythe claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portfolio for holding and organizingcontainers, the portfolio comprising: a first side; a second side; thefirst side being joined along one edge with the second side, the jointallowing the first side and the second side to be moved in a hinged likefashion away from each other to an open position and towards each otherto a closed position; at least the first side including a plurality ofreceptors with each receptor configured to receive a container; a sensorassociated with each receptor, the sensor being configured to determine:the action of a container being placed within the receptor; the actionof a container being removed from the receptor; and the presence of acontainer residing within the receptor.
 2. The portfolio of claim 1,wherein the plurality of receptors in the first side further compriseone or more container holders that are attached to the interior surfaceof the first side.
 3. The portfolio of claim 2, wherein the containerholders are of a uniform size.
 4. The portfolio of claim 2, wherein thecontainer holders are of varying sizes.
 5. The portfolio of claim 1,further comprising a display device associated with each of thereceptors, wherein the display device can display status pertaining tothe container associated with the receptor.
 6. The portfolio of claim 1,further comprising a wireless transceiver that can be used to wirelesstransmit the status of the one or more receptors, wherein the status mayindicate that the receptor is full or empty.
 7. The portfolio of claim6, further comprising a processing unit, wherein the processing unit iscommunicatively coupled to the sensors and the display devices andwherein the processing unit can detect the state of the sensors todetermine if a container is present or not, and then present the statuspertaining to the container on the display device.
 8. The portfolio ofclaim 7, wherein the processing unit executes a program that isoperative to provide an indicator as to whether or not a window is openwith regards to actions required with regards to the one or morecontainers.
 9. The portfolio of claim 8, wherein the processing unit isexternal to the portfolio and wirelessly communicates with the portfoliothrough a Bluetooth interface.
 10. The portfolio of claim 7, furthercomprising a receptor on the second side for receiving and holding adispenser, the dispenser having multiple chambers with at least onechamber being individually accessible and, wherein the dispenserincludes an array of visual indicators associated with each chamber ofthe dispenser and the processing unit is operative to set to the visualindicator to a first state to indicate an action window is openpertaining to a particular chamber, set the visual indicator to a secondstate to indicate that the action window has closed without the actionbeing performed and set the visual indicator to a third state toindicate that no action windows are open for a chamber.
 11. A portfoliofor holding and organizing containers, the portfolio comprising: a firstside; a second side; the first side being joined along one edge with thesecond side, the joint allowing the first side and the second side to bemoved in a hinged like fashion away from each other to an open positionand towards each other to a closed position; at least the first sideincluding a plurality of receptors with each receptor configured toreceive a container; a plurality of sensors with one sensor associatedwith each receptor and configured to be in a first state when acontainer is installed in the receptor and a second state when acontainer is not installed in the receptor; a plurality of displaydevices with one display device associated with each receptor; awireless transceiver; a memory element containing program instructions;a processing unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors,the plurality of display devices, the wireless transceiver and thememory device, and responsive to instructions within the memory device,the processing unit is configured to: detect when a container is removedfrom a receptor by detecting a state change of one of the plurality ofsensors; presenting an indicator on the display device associated with aparticular receptor when an action related to the container within thereceptor needs to be taken.
 12. The portfolio of claim 11, wherein eachof the plurality of sensors at least includes a wireless signal detectorand, each of the containers includes a passive signal generator, andwherein the processing unit is further configured to detect whichcontainer is present within a receptor by examining the wireless signalsfrom the passive signal generators of each container.
 13. The portfolioof claim 12, wherein the processing unit can present status informationon the display device associated with a particular receptor andpertaining to the container within that particular receptor byidentifying the wireless signals of the passive signal generator of thecontainer within the particular receptor.
 14. The portfolio of claim 11,wherein the processing unit sets the display device associated with eachreceptor to a first state when a window is active for a required actionpertaining to the container within the receptor, to a second state whenthe window closes without detecting that the action pertaining to thecontainer was performed and to a third state when the there are norequired actions pertaining to the container within the receptor. 15.The portfolio of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is external tothe portfolio and wirelessly communicates with the portfolio through aBluetooth interface.
 16. The portfolio of claim 11, further comprising adispenser with a plurality of chambers and an array of visual indicatorswherein a visual indicator is associated with each chamber of thedispenser and the processing unit is operative to set the visualindicator to a first state to indicate a an action is requiredpertaining to a particular chamber, and set the visual indicator to asecond state to indicate that the window has closed without the actionpertaining to the particular chamber being performed.
 17. The portfolioof claim 11, wherein the processing unit receives a schedule over thewireless interface and sets the display devices in accordance with thereceived schedule.
 18. The portfolio of claim 17, further comprising adispenser with a plurality of chambers and an array of visual indicatorswherein a visual indicator is associated with each chamber of thedispenser and the processing unit is operative to set to the visualindicator to a first state to indicate a window is open pertaining to arequired action associated with the particular chamber, set the visualindicator to a second state to indicate that the window has closedwithout the required action associated with the particular chamber beingperformed and set the visual indicator to a third state to indicate thatno actions associated with the particular chamber accessed required atthis time.
 19. The portfolio of claim 18, wherein the memory deviceincludes instructions that when executed by the processing unit presentinstructions for loading items into one or more chambers.
 20. Theportfolio of claim 19, wherein the dispenser includes a plurality ofsensors with at least one sensor being associated with each of thechambers of the dispenser and wherein the sensors change state with achamber is opened or closed.